The Moments In Between
by Charried Away
Summary: Before the plans for the machine went awry, there had always been those little moments that made Newton Graceland wonder about his young assistant. pre-movie, antipodeanshipping if you squint


Outside, the night sky is dark, and speckled with brightly shining stars. The moon isn't full, but the light it casts still turns everything a faint silver blue. The scenery, however, is lost to one Newton Graceland, who's too busy staring into the pages of his notebook to look out the window. Occasionally, he jots down a note in a few quick motions, or taps his pen rhythmically against the paper. Between notes, he often yawns. Truthfully, his eyelids had started to droop hours ago, yet when a glance at the wallclock reveals the time, he closes the notepad with reluctance. Numbers and calculations flicker by before the pages rustle closed.

Getting up, he sets the notebook on his coffee table so that he won't forget where he left it come the next morning. Again he looks at the clock, scratching his head as he does so. It seems almost unbelievable how quickly the day has passed. Time had just seemed to slide by, sped along, no doubt, by the progress they were making on the designs for the megarig. Remembering some of the snags they'd come across, he cringes a little. All day tomorrow would be spent fixing them, he was sure. Despite this, he dismisses the notion; there's nothing more that can be done about it tonight, after all.

A frown crosses his face, though it's not caused by the problems with the project. Machinery and computers aside, there's one other puzzle that's stuck in his mind. Despite being a brilliant scientist (if he does say so himself), and even though he figures out the "why"s and "how"s of things daily in his work, his assistant remains a conundrum. When Newton had left him at the lab earlier, the other had been pacing. Not for the first time, the last sound he'd heard before the doors swung closed had been the neat click-click of boots against tile.

Along with the sound, snatches of their conversation float back to him.

_"I think I'll be going," he'd said, rising stiffly out of the chair he had been occupying for the past several hours.  
_

_The other made a slight 'mmmhmm' sound, but didn't look up from his work. He continued;  
_

_"Perhaps you should take a break, too. It's been a long day."_

_"Sure, sounds good," Zero said, nodding distractedly but keeping his eyes on the sheaf of papers he held. Newton quirked an eyebrow, surprised; he'd expected a harder time trying to convince his assistant to leave for the night. Usually, it seemed that nothing short of pushing Zero out the door would work._

_"…Zero?" he prompted again, after another minute passed by and the other hadn't shown any sign of moving from his desk._

_"Oh, yes?"_

_"Well, aren't you coming?"_

_"Coming where?" He knew there'd been a catch to the other's compliance, and there it was. He ran a hand through his hair.  
_

_"I was just leaving, and I was hoping that you'd join me." another pause; "...You already agreed, actually."_

_"I did?" Zero looked at him blanky, seeming confused, surprised, or perhaps a mix of both. "I'm sorry, I don't think I was listening…" he gestures with his right hand, causing the pages he's holding to ruffle. He looked apologetic, and judging by the two spots of color that had risen to his cheeks, a bit embarrassed. When his assistant offered a shy smile, Newton felt the stern expression he'd been wearing all but fade._

_"It's alright," he said. "Are you planning on staying, then?"_

_Zero shrugged. "If it's alright with you, I was hoping to get a bit more done. Fix some... problems."_

He'd left, then, and Zero, apparently removed from whatever trance he'd been in, had gotten up and paced. He should have insisted that Zero leave with him, he thinks, right at that moment and not a second later. But he hadn't, and that was what mattered now_. _

Of course, he wanted to harness Giratina's power just as badly, but the other seemed to have taken the matter to heart. Often, when he showed up at the lab early, he found indications of the long nights Zero spent trying to puzzle out the Reverse World's mysteries. The dark half-moons under his eyes were physical evidence to that, if not for the fact that the lab itself had become a chronicle of his struggles; the chalkboard was frequently covered with Zero's minute writing, and crumpled or scattered scraps of paper littered the surface of his desk and the floor around it like artificial leaves.

Perhaps he should suggest that they take a break. They spent so much time working on the machine; he couldn't even remember the last time he, much less Zero, had done something that wasn't directly connected to it. It occurred to him that he couldn't remember the last time he'd seen his assistant really smile, either. Wait, yes, he could. They'd finally managed to enter the Reverse World, and both had been all grins. But that had been months ago, and now Zero hardly smile when they reminisced about it.

It would probably be good for the both of them if they diverted their thoughts elsewhere for a while. Yes, yes, that's what he'd do. Suggest that they go do something else and escape from the claustrophobic interior of the lab for just a day. Newton found himself yawning again, and stretched a bit to shake the drowsiness.

Turning off the lights and climbing the stairs to his second floor bedroom, he rethought over the plans he had for tomorrow. Lunch. A picnic, maybe, or something of that nature. Fuzzily, he hoped that it would work out.

* * *

When he arrives at the lab the next morning before the sun has even risen, and the sky is still a greyish-pink gradient. A good day for an outdoor cafe, perhaps. As he wades through the usual assortment of items, one unfamiliar article jumps out at him from a counter. Puzzled, he spots another, set on a cart, a few more steps in. Energy drinks, he realizes. Picking one up and swilling it around produced no sound; it had been drained completely. Its smell is acrid and metallic; even in comparison to the bitter coffee he'd picked up on the way to work, these things look downright vile.

Following the trail of cans with his eyes, he sees that, asleep at the center of the sea of drink cans is none other than his student, Zero.

Head resting on his folded arms, the young man looks peaceful in his sleep, though the metal desk couldn't be comfortable comfortable. The rumpled clothes he wears are the same ones from yesterday, and his usually styled hair is beginning to fall into disarray. It doesn't escape Newton's notice that a pen is still clutched in Zero's right hand. He shakes his head at the scene, only wishing that he could be more surprised; In truth, it doesn't come as any shock that the young man would work to the point of exhaustion.

In a few steps he's by his assistant's side, but lightly shaking Zero by the shoulder to wake him (which would shortly be followed by sending him home to get some proper rest, of course) only results in Zero continuing to be asleep. His hand lingers over Zero's shoulder as he pauses, wondering whether or not he should try harder to wake his assistant up. As he considers, his gaze shifts to the papers beneath his student's head, which are almost blacked out with print, numeric figures and diagrams. Many of them seem to be expanding on some of his current ideas, he notes.

Much-needed rest would be the best thing for the boy. Forcing him into wakefulness would be almost cruel, seeing how much he's done. The air conditioner blowing relentlessly bothers him, though. There aren't any blankets in the cold, pristine building, so Newton instead finds himself taking off his baggy lab coat and draping it gently across Zero's shoulders. Without really thinking, he reaches out and ruffles the younger man's white hair, which is softer than he'd expected, and almost feathery in texture. Beneath his touch, Zero doesn't even stir.

Catching himself, he straightens up quickly, adjusts his shirt, and gruffly dismisses that momentary lapse in professionalism. He walks across the room to the computer briskly, deciding to make good use of the time while Zero rests. As it flares to life, the computer coats the room in pale blue light, and produces a series of buzzes and whirrs. For a moment he worries that the noise will wake up Zero, but dismisses the concern quickly; as before, his student is lost to the world.

The amount of data in the computer has doubled overnight, and, for the second time that morning, Newton Graceland can only sigh and shake his head.

* * *

**A/N: Finally! This thing has been sitting in my computer for months, and I'm so glad to have finally posted it!! ****To any readers, thanks a ton for bearing with me thus far! =) Though ****honestly, guys... these two characters need more love. There is a pitiful amount of fanfic on here for Zero, and none at all for Newton! I can't be the only person out there that loves them, can I?! Hopefully my characterizations did them both justice (is anyone else getting a "worrisome house-wife" vibe from Newton? Please say no...)****. Also... I was wondering if anyone besides myself would be interested in more "missing moment" one-shots with these two, as the title would imply. Thoughts? Either way, thanks again for reading, and, as always, comments and concrit are welcome.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, or any associated characters.  
**


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